Politics
Belgium crisis: world record if government not formed by 30 March
Belgium is set to steal this title from the current record holder, Iraq, on 30 March - and what a record to beat! It’s an achievement that the country could very well do without, all the more so since politicians from the southern region of Wallonia and their northern counterparts from Flanders do not fall short when it comes to achieving bizarre records
politics, belgium, nationalism, brussels, separatism, crisis, bart de wever
Kosovo: no country for bland men
Kosovo is like a good strong coffee: one sip is enough to alert your five senses. In barely a fraction of history its people have swapped communism for apartheid, war, controlled independence and a status which is disputed by the countries of the world. Its political elite are suspected of corruption and criminal activity, whilst its population is the youngest and has the highest rate of unemployment in Europe. The old mistrust between the ethnic Albanian and ethnic Serbian Kosovars is watched from the west. Maybe it's a lethal cocktail, maybe not: a team of pan-European and Balkan journalists headed to Kosovo where they met young artists, students, film entrepeneurs and politicians between the most modern bars of the capital to the prime minister's entourage and the tense Serbian areas. As part of the 'Orient Express Reporter' project, they help us see what Kosovo is made of, a taste which is decidedly not suitable for the bland tongue
Spanish, Belgian media on Portuguese prime minister resignation
José Sócrates handed in his resignation on 23 March after the austerity measures proposed by his minority government were rejected by parliament. The interest rates for Portuguese government bonds then rose to record highs while the euro dropped on currency markets. The eurozone can only avoid new perils when everyone understands that the times of plenty are over, writes the press
politics, economical crisis, euro, euweek, portugal, josé sócrates
English, British or European? My grandparents on UK in the EU
According to the Eurobarometer survey of autumn 2009, only 30% of UK citizens believe that our membership of the EU is 'a good thing'. Whilst this meagre piece of one of Eurobarometer’s many brightly-coloured and informative pies is up two points from the last survey, the fact remains that Joe Public fails to engage with the mysterious, supranational, sovereignty-gobbling entity that resides somewhere beyond the Channel
politics, identity, belgium, great-britain, flag, youth, england
BBC poll 'everybody loves Germany': a German reacts
Every year, the British public service broadcaster asks a representative sample of citizens from all corners of the globe which of the 16 largest nations has a positive influence on the world. 2011's answer was the same as the previous few years: of 29, 000 people from 27 different countries, 62% voted for Germany followed by Britain and Australia, with Iran, North Korea and Pakistan lagging behind
Beppe Grillo: ‘Italy is as little a country now as it was 150 years ago’
Giuseppe Piero Grillo, 62, is a national celebrity, blogger and comedian. The married father-of-six is probably the least likely of all 60 million Italians to party over Italy's 150th anniversary in 2011. After falling in disgrace with Italy's powerful media conglomerates, he was banned from national television in the mid-1980s. He now blogs and performs his comedy shows live across the country, and speaks exclusively to Bruno van den Elshout for cafebabel.com
politics, beppe grillo, italy, vox-pop, best of cafebabel.com
Berlin, a dizzyingly green capital of Europe
Europe’s major female leader is a former environment minister herself. Has Angela Merkel learnt nothing? In 2011, Germany has regional elections in a mighty 7 of its 16 federal states. Showtime is on 27 March in Baden-Wurtemberg, where the German chancellor’s christian democrat party looks set to lose its 58-year rule. A green issue threatens those in power: nuclear-sceptic citizens are fighting the nuclear policy. The politicisation of citizens in Stuttgart reaches the capital, where Berliners vote in their first successful green referendum. The people’s green power is everywhere, from gastronomy and ‘city agriculture’ to nightlife and entertainment. cafebabel.com meets guerilla gardeners, vegans, green clubbers and a token expat Australian who has launched his own environmentally-friendly version of WikiLeaks. As Berlin keeps modernising and turning everything in its sights green - like the famous Berlinale film festival - Europe’s other capitals will have a hard time catching up. Third edition in a 2011 monthly series, ‘Green Europe on the ground’ (Image (cc) Neromonga/ Flickr)
- Read the special edition Berlin, a dizzyingly green capital of Europe
- From Libya via Japan: Germany still opts for nuclear energy
- Berlin citizen power: GreenLeaks, Stuttgart 21 and water privatisation
- Guerrilla gardening Berlin: fighting capitalism
- Green dancefloors Berlin: spread the eco-dance germ to Europe
Show me the money, Sarkozy: Libya's growl
The son of the Libyan dictator Saif al-Islam's claim that the 2007 French presidential campaign was funded by his country comes as Nicolas Sarkozy recognises the rebel national transitional council as Libya's official representative body. The Dutch, Austrian and Swiss press condemn the unilateral move as detrimental to all concerned
politics, euweek, libya, arab spring, nicolas sarkozy, muammar al-gaddafi, jasmine revolution
Gaddafi and Europe: it was nice while it lasted, wasn't it?
The EU member states have benefited from the subsoil and the strategic position of the oldest dictatorship in Africa and the Middle East so much so that they find it difficult to say a bad word against their former ally. The Europeans are served joyfully around Colonel Gaddafi's table of the kingdom
politics, europe, economy, international trade, libya, arab spring, oil
Poland, Lithuania, Romania: inside Europe's Guantanamo Bays
A white horse struggles to drag itself along after abandoning the exhausted body of Vincent Gallo through the snow. The animal is soiled with human blood. Such is the breathtaking epilogue of Essential Killing, the latest feature length film from Jerzy Skolimowski, where the American actor portrays a Taliban deported to a secret CIA base hidden in a forest in Mazovie, Poland. In the screenplay by the Polish writer, the prisoner still has the possibility to escape. Terrorist suspects who land in total secrecy in the airport of Szymany in Poland do not have such luck. An investigation ensues.
politics, cia flights, abuses, poland, romania, lech kaczynski, lithuania
Finnish, German, Italian reaction to islamist murder in Pakistan
Shabbaz Bhatti, minister of minorities, was murdered by islamists in Islamabad on 2 March. Pakistan's only christian cabinet minister, the 42-year-old was one of the few to oppose abuses of the country's blasphemy laws. European commentators fear the forces of radical islam could gain in strength, and call on the international community to take action
politics, radical islam, world affairs, pakistan, euweek, european union, islamic terrorism
Belgrade's youth explain homophobia and violence
In a city where more than two-thirds of students harbour dreams of going abroad after graduating, the empty discourses of corrupt politicians can be an efficient detonator for discontent. It’s a capital whose people’s hearts are irremediable divided between Russia and the EU, where violence raids its stadiums and streets
politics, football, belgrade, racism, corruption, nationalism, kosovo
Dutch, British, Spanish and Swiss reactions on Irish elections
The conservative party fine gael won Irish parliamentary elections on 25 February and will form a coalition with the labour party. The outgoing fianna fáil (FF) lost over two-thirds of its mandate. Future prime minister Enda Kenny wants to renegotiate the EU bailout package and see the country facing profound change; the 31st Dáil meets on 9 March
politics, economical crisis, vote, elections, euweek, european union, ireland
Italian women for and against accused Silvio Berlusconi
Whilst the satirical search engine 'Bungle Bungle' publishes videos of a million women protesters supporting the dignity of the female sex, Silvio's supporters protest in front of the law courts, where the Italian prime minister is due to show on 6 April, accused of the exploitation and prostitution of minors
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